Post 1.486 on March 6 2024

——Regatta’s are fun. Not so serious, but serious enough!!!When you can’t fly every day, you show up when you can .
Mathias [Kopp] did not fly during the first days , but on task 4 [3 hour AAT] his ASG 32 Mi, was on the score board as number 2 for the day, behind another new face Justin [Smith] in JS 3 at the podium. Justin missed day 1 ,was present on the next 2 days and won task 4 with 356.67 km/ 111.11 km./h.
This day overall leader David [Pickels] did not fly so others passed by .
Ayala who was 6th for the day, tops the overall scores now.
Then…… a 3 hour NOT FLOWN AAT.
The last 2 days showed scores again and 12 pilots went for another 3 hour AAT. Good old Brad,[ I heard he is going for the 3d time to Uvalde,] was the daily winner during task 6; 421.66 km/131.71 km./h. Decent speed in his ASG 32. Ayala , who started 1 minute later , was runner up. Great performance in “her” LS6.
From the 13 starting pilots 6 were out.
The last day had a 2 hour AAT, but it was not flown.
Ayala in the LS 6 won the Regatta with 3.981 points .Good on her!!!!

——-As you know I am a big fan of Rieti and it really pleases me , that at the IGC plenary in Toulouse, [March 1 and 2 2024, ]choose Rieti as THE place for the WGC 2027 for Club, 15 m and standard class!!!!
I have been there at 3 CIM’s, the JWGC in 2007 and 2 WGC’s already starting in 1984 with the pre worlds and then the WGC from 1985 and 2008.
Aldo shared the new from a paper;”In the meeting underway in Toulouse, France, the votes expressed this morning by the members of the International Gliding Commission in favor of the Rieti candidacy were decisive for the assignment, which thus beat the competition of the French town of Vinon in the second round of voting, after an initial phase that ended in a draw.”
Like Uvalde it’s their 3 WGC and till now I was part of all of them. Not bad is n’t it?

In 2026 the European Championship will be flown in Poland from Ostrow, good on them another Cat1 competition!!!Soon they host the JWGC.

–—–There was more news at the IGC meeting. I wait for the summary of decisions and share the most important with you, when I have them.
Still have n’t got them, so stay with me on this item.
Important for some pilots are the changes on handicap.
Matthew [Scutter] always an honest and fair -to-the-point-“thinker” on many items shared the list with the words;
“New IGC handicap list – the LS3 and ASW20’s got what was coming to them!
What do you think? What’s the best choice now?
I reckon the LS4/LS7 are back in business as the best.’

——The very first flying day in the new 2024 season here in the Netherlands was on March 2 and it felt like spring, sunny, “fresh” , as in pretty cold, but flyable, as you can see on Arjan’s pictures. AND,…. a bit of thermal activity as well, what do you want more?! Indeed a bit,…as the first out-landing was fact as well.
HUGE NEWS in a paper, as if disaster had struck, but just an out landing.
Great day for annual checks however!!

Also the Aeroclub in the Northern part of Holland started ; the always very active Friese Aeroclub.

Due to the HUGE amount of rain in February in fact over the last part of winter , some airfields are muddy and one is even more like a lake. Their season now starts at Terlet too.[Kennemer Aeroclub near to Leiden]

—–in the UK they had some thermals and pretty good wave , also not the best weather yet for flying , but for sure great pictures.
And the Highland Gliding Club had a great wave day on March 3
” Sunday was a spectacular wave day for us, with conditions far exceeding the forecast. We enjoyed multiple 2+ hour flights, a few reaching up to 10,000 feet, and even some cross-country ventures!“
Even up to 12.000 ft. Good on them!!!

——–FABULOUS FLIGHT from Gil Souviron and Baptiste Innocent; on February 27 they flew from Perpignan in France to Badajoz in Spain….retour flight from 1.533 km. speed 150 km./h….in a Stemme S12.
https://www.weglide.org/flight/364591
On the OLC [ https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=9740034#map=] they said;
“Fantastic flight with Baptiste, over 1400 km in Out and Return
One of my dream is done.
Not so easy day, very cloudy with almost no waves over 4800 meters.
We hoped that the return was better, but it was worse with a very humid air mass.
Never Mind, very good flight with a marvelous glider the Stemme S12. More comment to come..”
Both sites share pictures as well.

——For my Aussie mates;

“The summit will include a mix of edgy presentations, and discussions led by prominent figures in the field, focusing on the latest in safety protocols, technological advancements, and community-building strategies. The day will start at 8:30 AM for a 9:00 AM kick-off, concluding with networking drinks until 4:30 PM“
https://magazine.glidingaustralia.org/…/gliding…

——-In between the F 1 [cars] has started again and nothing changed. Max won. And,….we have another TOPPER; Femke Bol. World champion on the 400 m. at the athletic indoor-world comps in Glasgow with a new world record. Dutch Lieke Klaver was runner up.
Cycling at the road has started as well, with more Dutch toppers.
Love sport. Don’t get me wrong,OF COURSE ALSO when other nationalities win!!!!!

Cheers Ritz